Freed Palestinian prisoner, Shadi Al-Barghouthi, told Al Jazeera that they were abused by occupation forces before their release.
Hamas has handed over three Israeli captives while Israel released 183 Palestinian detainees, marking the fifth captives-prisoners exchange as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal.
The latest exchange started on Saturday afternoon, when Hamas released three Israeli captives including 56-year-old Ohad Ben Ami, 52-year-old Eli Sharabi, and 34-year-old Or Levy.
Al-Qassam Brigades’ members gave each released captive the chance to address the crowd upon their release on a large stage set up in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip.
The Israelis praised Al-Qassam’s members for taking care of them during their 15-month captivity while calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain his commitment to the ceasefire deal.
“We hope that negotiations will continue and the war will end,” Levy told the crowd, before being handed over along with the two other Israeli men to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Israel then released 183 Palestinians from its jails, including 18 serving life sentences and 111 others from the Gaza Strip. At least four of the freed Palestinian men had to be transported to a hospital upon their release due to their critical health condition, Al Jazeera reported.
Freed Palestinian prisoner, Shadi Al-Barghouthi, told Al Jazeera that they were subjected to brutal treatment by occupation forces ahead of their release.
“We were abused by the occupation forces moments before our release,” he said, adding that Palestinians were deprived of food and healthcare.
Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States had reached the deal between Hamas and Israel on January 15 after more than a year of stalled negotiations.
The ceasefire deal then came into effect on January 19, marking the beginning of the first out of three phases, each lasting 42 days. The first phase entails the release of 33 captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians detainees.
Since the deal came into force, Hamas has released 16 captives in addition to five Thai workers, whereas Israel released 766 Palestinian detainees.
The ceasefire has also enabled rescuers on the ground in the Gaza Strip to recover the bodies of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel since the beginning of the genocide on October 7, 2023.
Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israel has killed at least 61,709 Palestinians in the Strip, with thousands others still believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Second phase
The mediators have been working to resume negotiations for the second phase of the deal, which would entail Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a total ceasefire.
Israel’s negotiating team at the “working-level” is “most likely” heading to Qatar on Saturday to discuss the next steps of the deal, a source close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told The Times of Israel on Friday.
Reuters separately reported that the negotiations over Phase Two have started with the aim of returning the remaining captives and reaching an agreement over Israel’s full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, told Fox News last week that preparations for the negotiations were underway, expressing his hope for a “more sustainable truce”.
“The time for now is to build on the momentum created by the implementation of phase one now, as it is ongoing,” Al-Ansari said.
